Operation Bridal Boutique Guantanamo

The first day of our mission trip in Guantanamo, Cuba was setting up a bridal boutique full of gorgeous gowns.  We had 14 duffel bags vacuum packed with 86 gowns, veils, jewelry, and accessories that were generously donated by individuals and Tampa Bay wedding gown boutiques.  We had even more than we could bring so the rest of the gowns will be brought on future trips. The store owners and personal friends of mine and everyone I asked was so excited to be a part of this effort!  There was a team of 15 of us who actually went but there were so many others that were a part of making this happen.  The room you see below is in the pastor's house that is attached to the church, it was one of their kids bedrooms that was transformed into a bridal boutique.  The people in Guantanamo generally make between $12-20 per month, that is correct per month!  So, most people can't afford to have a wedding let alone a gorgeous gown.  The purpose of this boutique is so that the church has a micro business, where they can rent these dresses to the community for an amount they can afford.  The concept is just plain awesome.  After we had it setup, the ladies on our team helped each of the 30 brides find a dress, veil, and jewelry to wear for the big wedding celebration that would be happening on Wednesday. "Digo si al Traje" is Spanish for "I said yes to the dress!" so Zul wrote a little sign and I had some of them hold it just like we would here:-)  While we were doing that, the guys were hard at work painting, sanding, and repairing the outside of the house.  The very last photo is of our whole team in the room they had just finished so that we would all have a place to eat meals together.   THANK YOU to these boutiques Isabel O'Neil, Something Blue Bridal Boutique, The Perfect Dress, Olga's Bridal, Goodwill and everyone who played a part in, this it was truly amazing!